Learn

Guides to the parts of working with samples that are far easier to hear than to read about. Everything on these pages makes a sound and responds to being dragged, nudged, or switched. Play with them rather than skimming them.

• How pitch shifting works

  Play a sample faster and it goes up, but it also gets shorter and starts to sound like a smaller instrument. Transposing, formants, and how many notes you need to record.

  October 8, 2026

• How compression works

  A compressor turns down the loud parts, and everything else follows from that. Threshold, ratio, attack and release, where the loudness comes from, and why it matters more on a 12-bit sampler.

  Updated October 8, 2026

• Why your loop clicks

  A sustained sample that ticks on every repeat is a waveform problem you can see. Loop splices, zero crossings, and the crossfade that removes the click for good.

  October 7, 2026